Tag: DARPA

Quantum Cameras Poised to Transform Space-Based Intelligence

Defense One reports, “Can quantum physics enable better, cheaper, faster satellite photos? In a month or two, a startup will test a ‘quantum camera’ for space-based imaging. If it works, it could slash the cost of missile defenses and give smaller NATO allies and partners spy-satellite capabilities that were once exclusive to major powers. Funded in part by NASA and DARPA, the Boston-based Diffraqtion is testing a radically different way to make images from photons.”
Full Story (Defense One)

DARPA Asking Private Industry for Lunar Orbiter Capable of Searching for Water

SPACE reports, “DARPA (the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) is looking for a private company to build spacecraft to orbit the moon and search for water. A program solicitation that DARPA released on April 14 outlines the plan for the LASSO (Lunar Assay via Small Satellite Orbiter) program, with the goal of developing a system of one or several affordable satellites.”
Full Story (SPACE)

DARPA Funds Sikorsky to Convert Black Hawk Into Drone

Aerotime reports, “American aircraft manufacturer Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, will convert a United States Army UH-60M Black Hawk into a drone. The company received a $6 million award from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to install the company’s ALIAS/MATRIX flight autonomy system onto the helicopter, essentially converting it into a drone.”
Full Story (Aerotime)

DARPA Announces 6 New Designs for Uncrewed VTOL Military Aircraft

SPACE reports, “The U.S. military could soon have new uncrewed aircraft that carry weapons and take off and land vertically. The vehicles could undergo test flights as early as 2026. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has announced it is moving into a new testing phase for proposed experimental aircraft in which designs will be assessed for risk and analyzed for efficiency.”
Full Story (SPACE)

 

Video

DARPA’s AdvaNced airCraft Infrastructure-Less Launch And RecoverY X-Plane program
(DARPAtv; YouTube)

2024 ASCEND to Accelerate Our Off-World Future with Axiom Space, Boeing, DARPA, Lockheed Martin, NASA, Northrop Grumman, NRO, ULA, and U.S. Space Force

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 7, 2024 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) today announced dozens of speakers who will appear at its upcoming ASCEND event, 30 July – 1 August, Caesars Forum, Las Vegas. ASCEND is the world’s premier outcomes-focused, interdisciplinary space event designed to accelerate building our off-world future.

Powered by AIAA, ASCEND serves as the nexus for addressing the most important opportunities and challenges that come with increased activity in space today. Over 200 industry luminaries from across the civil, commercial, and national security space sectors, adjacent industry representatives, and next-generation thinkers from around the world are scheduled to speak. Confirmed speakers include:

  • A.C. Charania, Chief Technologist, NASA
  • Carissa Christensen, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, BryceTech*
  • Debra Emmons, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, The Aerospace Corporation
  • Barbara Golf, Strategic Advisor for Space Domain Awareness, Space Systems Command, Los Angeles Air Force Base, U.S. Space Force (USSF)
  • Janet Grondin, CEO, Stellar Solutions
  • Matt Kozlov, Managing Director, Techstars
  • Michael López-Alegría, Chief Astronaut, Axiom Space
  • Sandra Magnus, TraCSS Chief Engineer, MITRE/Office of Space Commerce*
  • Tom Marshburn, Chief Medical Officer, Sierra Space
  • Rob Meyerson, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Interlune*
  • Maj. Michael Nayak, USAF, Program Manager, DARPA
  • Shawna Pandya, Director, International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS)*
  • Nelson Pedreiro, Vice President, Advanced Technology Center, Lockheed Martin Space
  • Mark Peller, Senior Vice President, Vulcan Development and Advanced Programs, United Launch Alliance (ULA)
  • Christopher Scolese, Director, National Reconnaissance Office (NRO)
  • Lt. Gen. John Shaw, USSF (Ret.), Former Deputy Commander, U.S. Space Command
  • Lauren Smith, Senior Program Manager, Satellite Refueling, Northrop Grumman*
  • Lee Steinke, Chief Operating Officer, CisLunar Industries
  • Melanie Stricklan, Executive Director, Space Workforce 2030, Space Foundation
  • Mandy Vaughn, CEO and Founder, GXO
  • Kurt Vogel, Associate Administrator, Space Technology Mission Directorate, NASA
  • Kelly Weinersmith, Co-Author, A City on Mars
  • Matthew Weinzierl, Senior Associate Dean and Chair, MBA Program; Joseph and Jacqueline Elbling Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School*
  • Noelle Zietsman, Vice President and Chief Engineer, Boeing Exploration Systems*

*Member of the 2024 ASCEND Guiding Coalition

Many more speakers will be announced as they are confirmed. In addition, hundreds of technical papers and collaborative sessions are scheduled, featuring expert researchers and innovators that anchor the event with the long-term thinking required to build a sustainable off-world future.

“This year, we’re co-locating ASCEND with the AIAA AVIATION Forum in one venue. These two signature AIAA events will deliver full technical programs, visionary discussions, and industry networking our community counts on. With a central Expo Hall serving as the bridge between both events’ communities, we believe attendees will be energized by this unique experience. We look forward to welcoming thousands of aerospace professionals and students from across the aerospace sector,” said AIAA CEO Dan Dumbacher.

Registration for the 2024 ASCEND event is open. Early bird rates end on 10 June. Journalists from around the world are invited to cover 2024 ASCEND; press passes are available for credentialed media by request. For more information, visit ascend.events, or follow ASCEND on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

Media Contact: Rebecca Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270 cell

About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit aiaa.org, or follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

NASA, DARPA, Sikorsky Design Air Taxi Software

ExecutiveGov reports that NASA is working with DARPA and Sikorsky “to develop and test autonomous software designed for future self-flying air taxis.” NASA said the research is “led by NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility program, which aims to take transportation to new heights by innovating passenger and freight flights in dense traffic environments and other scenarios.” AAM’s mission is “to ensure a safe, accessible, automated, yet affordable air transport in hard-to-reach urban and rural areas.” The three organizations “are currently designing software using scripted flight paths as well as customized test tablets and ground control room simulations to understand the technology’s behavior and response to air-to-air encounters.” The software will eventually “be installed and tested on Sikorsky’s modified S-76B helicopter, labeled the Autonomy Research Aircraft, and its Optionally Piloted Vehicle Black Hawk helicopter.”
Full Story (ExecutiveGov)

Lockheed Martin Contracted by NASA to Design, Test New Nuclear-Powered Propulsion System

The New York Times reports NASA and DARPA have announced that Lockheed Martin has been selected “to design, build and test a propulsion system that could one day speed astronauts on a trip to Mars.” The nearly $500 million program “is named DRACO, short for the Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations.” The DRACO development “is to culminate with a flight test of the nuclear-thermal engine.” Kirk Shireman, a vice president at Lockheed Martin, “said the launch was currently scheduled for late 2025 or early 2026.”
Full Story (The New York Times)